2026 Honorable Miss Stakes Preview

Key Takeaways:

• The Honorable Miss sets up as a pace-driven sprint, with several front-runners entered, making race dynamics just as important as raw class when handicapping the outcome.
• Grand Job brings the strongest graded-stakes résumé into the field, but the cutback from seven furlongs to six introduces enough uncertainty to keep the race competitive.
• Going Steady is the top pick because she projects as the lone true closer, giving her an ideal setup if the expected speed duel materializes.
• Grand Job remains a major threat on class alone, with the expectation that a stalking trip – rather than an early duel – could allow her graded form to shine.
• Maida is the value play, as her rail draw and natural speed could become a major advantage if Saratoga's dirt course favors inside speed on race day.

Older filly and mare sprinters take the spotlight Sunday, July 26 at Saratoga in the $250,000 Honorable Miss, a six-furlong sprint at Saratoga. The race is the local prep for the Ballerina, an Aug. 29 race that offers an automatic bid to the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, one of the biggest races of the fall.

The 2026 edition of the Honorable Miss is led by Grand Job, who was nosed out in the Madison (G1) and won the Inside Information (G2) three starts back. Her toughest competition includes all-time top-earning Arkansas-bred Haulin Ice, the speedy Striker Has Dial and the up-and-coming Maida.

The Honorable Miss takes its name from the mare who beat the boys twice in the Fall Highweight Handicap at Belmont, in 1975 and 1976. Its top winners include two-time winner and millionaire Bourbon Belle (1999, 2000), New York-bred stakes namesake Dancin Renee (1997), the important broodmare Forest Music (2005), and Eclipse Award winner Echo Zulu (2023).

Honorable Miss Stakes Information

• Race Date: Sunday, July 25
• Track: Saratoga Race Course
• Post Time: 5:12 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time
• Distance: six furlongs on the dirt
• Age/Sex: ages four and up, fillies and mares
• Where to Watch: FanDuel Racing
• Where to Bet: FanDuel Racing

Honorable Miss Stakes Draw and Odds

This is the field for the Honorable Miss Stakes, including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning-line odds for each runner:

Honorable Miss Stakes Prep Race Results

The only runner coming out of a graded-stakes race into the Honorable Miss is Grand Job, who was nosed out by Ways and Means in the Bed O’ Roses (G2) at the Spa on June 5.

Four others come out of ungraded stakes company. Two were last-out winners: Striker Has Dial wired the Skipat on Preakness Day at Laurel on May 16, and Maida won the Alma North at Laurel on June 27, also in wire-to-wire fashion. Haulin Ice finished third as a heavy favorite after a poor start in the Rehoboth at Delaware Park on May 30. Do Gooder was eighth in the License Fee on May 3 on the Aqueduct grass.

The other two starters come out of allowance-level victories. Kappa Kappa went gate to wire in a top-shelf allowance going six furlongs at Parx on July 1, her first start since she was fourth in the Skipat in May. Going Steady cleared her first-level condition June 20 at Churchill Downs, closing from last to win a seven-furlong race.

Honorable Miss Stakes Contenders

These are the seven contenders, in order of their post positions:

1. Maida: She wasn’t quite up to the graded-stakes challenge last fall in the Raven Run (G2), where she finished sixth behind Kappa Kappa after a slow break, but after a long break she returned to win an ungraded stakes at Laurel in blowout fashion June 27. That was a 6 ½-furlong race, but she is 3-for-4 at six furlongs, with her only defeat coming in her muddy debut. She should get a dry track Sunday – the biggest question, however, is pace. She is drawn to the inside of a field with a lot of pace, and although she battled and pulled away in an allowance win last year, these are tougher foes.
2. Kappa Kappa: The upset winner of the seven-furlong Raven Run last year disappointed in her last two starts, but got a confidence-builder last out in an allowance at Parx. She’ll have to take another step forward to compete in this spot, however. A few points weigh in her favor: she gets high-percentage jockey Irad Ortiz, and even though she is one of several speed horses, she was able to battle on the pace and also win the war in the Raven Run last year. But, it’s a lot to ask, especially against sharp six-furlong speed – so demand a price.
3. Striker Has Dial: Trainer Horacio de Paz has started the Saratoga meet in winning form, and he sends out a proven stakes horse in Striker Has Dial. She has won stakes in her last two starts, the Endine at Delaware Park last September and then the Skipat on Preakness day to begin her five-year-old year. The trouble for her is pace, because she’s yet another speed horse. She has been able to battle and run on, but not yet against this level of company.
4. Haulin Ice: She was on fire this winter at Oaklawn, thrashing Arkansas-breds and then beating open fillies and mares as well. A turf try two back didn’t go so well, and then she lost most of her chance at the start in a minor stakes at Delaware last out. Her performance in the Matron three back at Oaklawn was encouraging, as she was able to battle before opening up. However, this pace stands to be even faster than that one, and her winning efforts do tend to be when she is up on the lead. The price may be too short, especially with Flavien Prat riding.
5. Going Steady: Going Steady has a lot of class to prove – she has only won twice in 13 starts, and though one of those wins came last out, it was in a one-other-than allowance at Churchill Downs. However, in a race that looks likely to fall apart completely, she has some appeal. She’ll have to run her best – even take a step up from her career best last out – but if she does, she could be very well suited to run down the battling frontrunners at a nice price under Tyler Gaffalione.
6. Grand Job: This graded-stakes-winning mare looms as the class of the field – though the question for her is distance. She has three straight excellent efforts in graded-stakes races, efforts that would probably beat this field any day of the week, but all of those races have come at seven furlongs, not six. In her only six-furlong start, she got caught in a duel and emptied out completely. With so much speed in this race, the fear is that she’ll do that again. However, if she has matured enough to be able to stalk and pounce, something like she did when she was a nose second in the Madison (G1) two starts back? Perhaps she gets first run on the battling speed types and may just prove too good.
7. Do Gooder: She has been off form in recent starts on the grass, and switches back to the dirt. She has had a little success on the main track, a win over an off track and one second-place across four starts on the main. But, in addition to her recent races being flat, it’s a concern that all her best races have her on or near the lead, and she adds blinkers. Yes, the blinkers may help focus her speed, but there’s so much other pace in this race that if she gets her running style early, she won’t have much left in the tank late.

Honorable Miss Stakes: 3 Best Bets

These are the three best bets in the 2026 Honorable Miss Stakes:

1. Going Steady (30-1)

In a race full of early speed, being the lone closer is a good thing. Though she has a lot of class to prove, and with a lot more runner-up finishes than wins, she may have a bit of a second-itis problem. She not only gets the perfect pace setup for this, but she also comes into this race off of a win, meaning she hasn’t forgotten how to get to the wire first.

The biggest question is the six-furlong distance, as her last-out win came going seven. But, her other win came over a flat six furlongs at Oaklawn, where she didn’t even have quite as fast a pace to close into. Under jockey Tyler Gaffalione, she has a chance to reward bettors who are willing to overlook the questions – because a reasonable step forward from her last can win this, and often the pace makes the race.

2. Grand Job (1-2)

Grand Job is, in short, the class of the field. She has a lot of early pace, which is part of what raises questions around her. There is also the fact that she has proven herself strongly at seven furlongs, but flopped in her one start at six.

However, if her seven-furlong speed is just enough to get her into a stalking spot and not in the speed duel, she could see the race out. After all, she showed two starts back that she doesn’t need to make the top early to run a spectacular race. She ran well enough to be nosed out in Grade 1 company – a race that graded out well, too, with both winner Eclatant and third-place R Disaster winning right back in graded-stakes company. Given that, beyond Grand Job’s form, this is only a marginal Grade 2 field? This is more than enough to give her appeal even as a defined favorite.

3. Maida (5-1)

Watch how the track is playing leading into the race. Some days at Saratoga, a heavy inside speed bias will reveal itself. And, if that’s the case on Sunday, Maida could find herself in the driver’s seat.

Not only is Maida a speed horse who drew the rail, but she can go fast and keep on going. Even though she shortens up from a 6 ½-furlong race at Laurel last out? She went the opening quarter in 21.72 seconds and the opening half in 45.76 – she started fast but nonetheless ran on to win. The concern is that she’s got better horses trying to chase her down in this spot compared to the last one. But, she comes into the race off a very strong breeze, suggesting she’s sharp. If she’s able to go that fast again and the rail is playing nicely in dirt races that day? She could be a factor at a square price.

Honorable Miss Stakes FAQ

Q: When is the Honorable Miss Stakes?

A: The Honorable Miss happens Saturday, July 26, 2026, at 5:12 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

Q: Where is the Honorable Miss Stakes?

A: The 2026 Honorable Miss happens at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Honorable Miss Stakes?

A: Steve Asmussen leads all trainers with three victories in the Honorable Miss: in 2005 with Forest Music, 2015 with Street Story, and 2023 with Echo Zulu. Asmussen does not have a runner in 2026. The only trainer in this year’s edition who has won it before is Saffie Joseph, Jr., who won the 2024 edition with Spirit Wind. He can win again in 2026 with Haulin Ice.

Q: Who is the favorite for the Honorable Miss Stakes?

A: The 1-2 morning-line favorite for the Honorable Miss Stakes is Grand Job for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. She won the Inside Information (G2) at Gulfstream Park three back and missed by a nose in each of her next two starts, which came in the Madison (G1) at Keeneland and the Bed O’ Roses (G2) at the Spa.

Q: Who is the best Honorable Miss Stakes jockey?

A: Edgar Prado leads all riders with three wins in the Honorable Miss between 2002 and 2009. Irad Ortiz, Jr. can tie that mark if Kappa Kappa wins in 2026; he won with Come Dancing in 2020 and Halina’s Forte in 2025.

Q: Who won the Honorable Miss Stakes in 2025?

A: Halina’s Forte won the 2025 Honorable Miss for trainer Philip Bauer and jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. Bauer does not have a horse for the race in 2026; Ortiz rides Kappa Kappa for Butch Reid.

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.